


Workaholic

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Delirium, F/M, Sickfic, promptober stuff, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 01:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20844974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: Melissa gets a bad fever at work, fortunately everyone is there to look after her.





	Workaholic

**Author's Note:**

> Fjshfjsh the prompt for day 3 was Delirium but tbqh I couldn’t get that to fit the theme quite right so here’s something less serious

“Hey, Melissa,” Emma made a stop at her desk on her way into the office. “Brought you a hot chocolate.” She placed the cup up on her desk.

Melissa’s only response was to give a thankful mumble. Her eyes were dull and unfocused as she gazed at the pile of papers on her desk. 

“You good?” Emma asked, nudging the cup forward into her hand. 

“Yup,” she lifted her eyes to make brief eye contact with Emma before dropping them again, closing completely. 

“Okay then, Mel. I’m gonna go see Paul,” she gestured over her shoulder before heading off. 

“Hey guys!” Emma gave her boyfriend and his coworkers a smile as she entered his cubicle. 

“Hey! Did Melissa give you anything on the way in?” Paul asked, reaching out a hand to get his coffee off Emma.

“No, not much besides a cold shoulder,” she shrugged. “The girl looked tired. Not much talking from her. I even brought her a hot chocolate.”

“Huh, that’s odd,” Paul pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll just give her a ring and see if she can drop those papers down.” 

“I dunno, she looks off,” Emma mumbled as Paul pressed his phone to his ear.

“Mm,” Bill spoke up, turning in his chair. “She was walking a little off centre this morning on her way to the printer. I think maybe she might be sick.” 

“Oh,” Charlotte frowned. “Well that would make sense. She looks very pale. She was making coffee for the people in accounting this morning and she spilled two cups.”

“Hey! Melissa!” Everyone fell silent as Paul began to talk. “Yeah, those papers I gave you this morning. Remember? I needed you to get Ted to sign them.”  
There was a longer than usual pause, and from the look on Paul’s face it was clear he wasn’t getting a reply on the other end.  
“Mel?” He blinked. “Yeah, those ones. I asked you to bring them down. Can you send Ted a message and ask him to come down in twenty to pick the copies up? Okay, thanks Mel. Catch you soon.” He dropped his phone back onto the desk and gave Charlotte a puzzling look.  
“You think she’s sick?” 

Charlotte nodded and Bill pushed away from his desk, rolling over in his chair over to Paul. “How did she sound?” 

“Just distracted, maybe she’s sad.”

Emma shrugged, finally taking a second to doll out the coffees she had come to deliver. “Mind if I stick around for a sec?” 

Everyone nodded and Paul patted his lap, gesturing for her to take a seat. 

She sat down on his lap, tucking neatly under his chin. Usually she would watch him work but she was growing very worried about Melissa. 

Paul had made the phone call quite a while ago now and she was yet to make an appearance. 

“Hey, anyone down here lost a young lady?” The door to the IT cubicles opened up. Ted was guiding Melissa’s every step with a hand hovering gently over her back. “She paged me to come down here to pick up some papers but I take it the papers never got dropped off.” He plucked them from her hands to slap them down on Paul’s desk. “Emma,” he greeted her with a stern look upon seeing her.

“Ted,” she looked back up at him, but wasn’t in the mood to pull faces. 

“Melissa, are you okay?” Bill asked. 

“Oh yeah,” her head was tilted slightly too far back as if her neck wasn’t supporting her. “Here are the papers,” she added after a second, even though Ted had already taken them from her. “Did I have something else to do?”

“Thanks, Mel,” Paul gave her an uncertain nod. “Ted, can you help her back to her desk?” 

Before he could answer, there was a loud thump. 

Everyone spun around to the place where Melissa had previously been standing only to find she wasn’t there. 

“Hey!” Ted, the only person not behind a desk spun around. “Woah, you good?” He knelt down, vanishing behind the desks.  
The other four got to their feet to see him knelt over besides Melissa. 

She had fainted and hit the floor hard it appeared. 

“Melissa?” He called. “Can you hear me?”  
“Woah! Hey, Melissa!” Emma jumped from Paul’s lap and he followed suit, the both of them rushed to her side and Charlotte and Bill copied them. 

“Ahh,” Melissa uttered, her face scrunched up and her breathing heavy.  
“Ahh!” She groaned again. 

“You’re sweating like crazy.” Emma took a spot by her head, gently lifting her up ever so slightly to rest the girl’s head on her knees. 

“Can someone get the first aid kit?” Paul snapped. “She doesn’t look well!”

“Got it! I’ll get it!” Bill hurried out the door in that awkward ‘I’m not sure just how fast I need to be going because I’m not sure what’s going on’ sort of walk. 

Ted placed a finger on her pulse.  
“She’s sick. Big time.” 

Melissa fidgeted in Emma’s lap as if to agree. “No, I can get it!” She called out just a few beats too late. 

“Melissa, hey,” Paul whispered quietly. “You aren’t well, you’re gonna have to go home.” 

Charlotte clasped her hands together anxiously. “I’ll go fetch her some water. Bill! Wait up!” She moved much quicker in a way that suggested she was way overestimating the danger.

“Ah, I guess I should let Mr. Davidson know what’s up.” He sat on the floor a moment longer, rubbing a hand across his cheek and eyeing the door. “If Bill hasn’t already informed the whole office.” He heaven himself to his feet. “Be careful with her,” he added gruffly. 

“We know!” Emma and Paul retorted in unison. 

“Her temperature isn’t shaping out nicely,” Paul frowned as he placed his hand to her forehead. “Jeez.” 

“Yeah, no kidding babe.” 

“Ahh,” Melissa mumbled again. “I’ve got to stand up,” she wasn’t quite talking to anyone in particular. “I’ve got to get those papers to-“ she didn’t finish the sentence. 

“You already brought them to me, Mel.” Paul moved his finger down to her neck. 

“Oh, the nodes,” Emma nodded. “Yeah. We learn that in Biology.” 

“Cool Em. Didn’t know it was a bio thing. My parents just did this when I was sick, they’re kind of swollen.” he explain rather quickly as if he just had to brush her off to focus on Melissa.  
“Wow, nice flex. Your parents loved you, that’s cool. Can’t relate. If I had a fever I just had to put it on the back burner. Swollen glands means she’s sick.” Emma shrugged as she explained. 

“Hey, hey.” Melissa’s teeth were chattering. “I have things to do too. I’m not sick I have to do things to do. The back burner.” 

“She’s coping me,” Emma looked down at her unconscious friend’s face. “Watch this other cool Bio thing,” she told Paul as she carefully removed Melissa’s glasses. “So, if you check the tissue under the eye you can actually- woah fuck!” Emma took her hand back. “That’s a fever alright! Her skin is, wow!” She gave her hand a shake. “Sweaty and hot!” She reported. 

“I have things to do,” Melissa let out an exhausted grunt, her arms flailing by her side in what might’ve been an attempt to sit upright but Paul kept her down. 

“Melissa, you don’t have things to do. We’ll drive you home, okay?”

“I don’t have things to do?” Melissa exclaimed in almost terror. “No, I do!” She growled. 

“No, no you don’t Melissa,” Emma shook her head. “You have to go home.” 

At this, Melissa sunk back down with a disappointed sigh. “I’m gonna get in trouble,” she whined. “Come on. We’ve got to get up.” Her words were slurred and unclear. “I have to get those papers and page Ted.” 

“You’ve done that,” Paul had to remind her again. 

“Oh.” Melissa twisted uncomfortably. 

“Let’s get that blazer off. It’s not doing you any favours. You’re delirious.” 

Paul helped Emma sit Melissa up, but it was a harder process to take her blazer off when she wasn’t responding. She almost seemed to be fighting to keep it on. 

“I have so much to do. I’m not done yet!” She argued. “Emma‘s coming with coffee.” 

“Hey, Mel,” Emma gave her a little wave. “Already here. You finished everything already. Come on Paul, help me stand her up. Let’s get her to the car.” 

When Emma slipped Melissa’s hand behind her neck she really began to fight. She tried to draw her arms back to her chest, which in the process she managed to keep Emma in a headlock. 

“Hey!” Emma squawked. “She’s strong for someone not in her mind,” Emma grunted as she pushed Melissa’s hand off her neck. 

“Are you alright Em?” Paul asked, holding back a laugh. Melissa was quite calm on his side. 

“I’m okay. Worry about her.” She hoisted Melissa back up, more carefully this time. 

“No. I can’t go!” Melissa denied. “I’ve got work and I promise I’ll get it done!”

“We aren’t firing you, Melissa. We’re just giving you a rest,” Paul tried to explain as they took their first unsteady steps. 

“Firing me!?” Melissa pulled her arms from around Paul, pushing him away and falling back off her own feet.

Emma caught her before she could hit the floor. “We’re carrying her,” she confirmed. “Walking isn’t happening.” 

“Oofh,” Melissa’s eyes seemed to open properly for the first time since she blacked out and she looked at Paul. “Sorry, did I-?”

“Pass out?”

“Bring you those papers? Oh! Pass out?” She took in a breath and her eyes blurred. “Yeah, I’m not feeling well.”

“Yeah, no kidding. We’ll sit you down.” Emma eased her back down to the ground, letting her rest against the back of the desk. “Did you know you had a fever?” 

“Yeah but...” Melissa was slow to talk. “I have work to do here. I can’t just stay home, I’ll get in trouble.” 

“Not if you’re sick. Mr. Davidson won’t keep you here if you’re falling off your feet,” Paul gave her a nudge and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Why do you wanna stay so badly? Aren’t you in pain or something?” 

“I feel sick,” she answered simply. “But do you see how much stuff I’ve got to do?” She frequently paused in between words to catch her breath. “Lots of papers and paging and deliveries to do.” 

“That’s it, you’ve worked yourself sick!” Paul announced. “You’re overworking yourself.” 

“Nope!” Melissa grunted, not in a proper enough mindset to fight on that point.

“No you are. Emma does the same thing all the time, I know the signs. You’re stressed out. You were trying to get stuff done while you were unconscious! That’s a big red flag,” Paul pointed out. 

“Oh!” Emma nodded in agreement. “It’s one big headache right? The dizziness and the brain fog? I know it exactly. This shit happens to me in classes. You need a break, it’ll fix you right up.”

“A break?” Melissa pronounced the word as if it was almost a foreign idea to her. 

Ted swung back in through the door, Charlotte and Bill lingering behind him.  
“Mr. Davidson says you’re clear Melissa. You’re off for the day.” 

“Whether you like it or not,” Emma added. 

“Here, your drink bottle.” Charlotte handed it down to Melissa who took a small sip before clinging onto it to chew on the lid. 

“And take this too,” Bill passed over the first aid kit to Paul who opened it to fuss for supplies. “What happened? What-what’s wrong?” He pointed at her. 

“She’s got a fever. She’s a bit delirious,” Paul answered. 

“I’m not got a fever,” Melissa shook her head but winced afterwards. “I’m pretty okay really. Just a little hot. I had my break, I can get going again.” 

“Yeah, you look like you went for a swim, kid,” Ted snorted. “You need to lie down for the rest of the day and get some water. A lot of water.” 

Charlotte clung anxiously to his side. “You had a nasty fall. Your head must hurt.”

“Ugh.” She gave her forehead a rub before slumping onto Emma’s shoulder. “A little. I can walk. I just need to sit down for a bit and then I’ll be better.” She shut her eyes but her hands continued to work, pressing against the ground and clenching and flinching as if she was working up to standing. 

“Sweetheart, I think it’s better if you take the rest of the day off,” Charlotte advised. Charlotte wasn’t one to ever be too firm, but there was a hint of warning to her tone. 

“No, but I told you. I have things to do!” Melissa exhaled loudly. “I have so much I have to get done. You guys. You guys, you go back to your places.” 

“Cute, Mel. Real nice, but you like your job too much and you can’t admit you need a rest. You’re a workaholic. And sometimes that’s worse for your health than a real addiction.” She shot a glare up at Ted. “And I’m not naming names.” 

“I am an alcoholic! You’re just saying that to fuck with me, Em. Take it back.” He stomped his foot. 

“Hey, if the shoe fits! I never said your name. I was actually talking about Paul’s coffee addiction.”

“What!?” Paul gaped. “I don’t have a problem!”

“Yeah. I know. I was just fucking with you guys. Sometimes you make it too easy but hey! Melissa, sit back down.” 

The secretary had risen during their argument as if she was trying to sneak away the moment the conversation switched away from her. She sat back down in defeat, falling a little too far back and knocking her head against Paul’s desk as she did so. “Sorry,” she apologised meekly. “I’m feeling better now though.” 

“You don’t just ‘feel better’ from a fever. Trust me, I know,” Emma gave her a pat on the shoulder. “So. We’ll take you home and you can come back tomorrow if you’re better and do all your papers and coffees and runs then, okay?” 

“I-“

“Okay?” Emma repeated herself, chorused by both Paul and Charlotte.

“Listen to ‘em,” Ted nodded. “If you aren’t out of here in ten minutes I’m forcing you out.”

“And it probably won’t be that hard,” Bill put his hands on his hips as if he had delivered a perfect closing to their debate. 

Ted tilted his head to look at him. “Thanks for that Bill.” 

Melissa didn’t push her point any further. Probably because she didn’t have the energy to. She willingly let Paul and Emma raise her up from the ground without a struggle. 

Bill and Charlotte hesitantly returned to their chairs, watching Melissa’s leave closely as if they were worried she would spring back up and dig her heels in. 

“Now, we’ve got your backpack, do you need anything else?” Emma asked as they settled her down in the passenger seat of Paul’s car and helped her buckle up. 

“I guess not,” she sighed. “But I think this is all too much. If I go home now I’ll start running behind on everything. I needed to make sure the guys in HR handed in reports today and now no one will be there to remind them!” 

“I’m sure they’ll remember themselves. We’re all adults,” Paul pointed at Emma in the backseat to gesture for her to put her own seatbelt on. “And if not. I’ll remind them for you. I’ll take a look at your clipboard and try and get your things done for you, I promise.” 

Melissa finally eased up a bit. “Oh you will? Thank you Paul,” she let out a deep breath. “Thank you, I’ll be able to rest a bit easier. I’ll be back tomorrow to take over though, promise!” 

“That’s cute Mel, really nice of you,” Emma leant forward as far as her seatbelt would allow. “But you can put others before yourself another time, okay? Be a little selfish, I think you’ve earned it.”


End file.
